


Consider Me

by kickassfu



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Banter, Cute, F/F, Fluff, Humor, M/M, POV Merlin (Merlin)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-03
Updated: 2020-06-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:15:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24515239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kickassfu/pseuds/kickassfu
Summary: “Who are you marrying exactly, Merlin?” customer prat, Arthur, the love of his life - or more like the bane of his existence - asks, his smile tight and fake.“Why are you asking? You volunteering for the position?” bloody hell, he didn’t mean to say that. Arthur just has a way to get him to run his mouth even more than usual. He very distinctly feels Gwen elbow his side, and ouch, fine. He puts on his very own customer service smile, and his very fake customer service voice, and asks, “What would you like today?”
Relationships: Gwen/Morgana (Merlin), Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 35
Kudos: 498





	Consider Me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Writerwithagoal](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Writerwithagoal/gifts).



> This was requested by my love K, for her bday today (yesterday, cause timezones): a Merthur coffee shop magic au where merlin and Gwen are coworkers in love with customers arthur and Morgana
> 
> Not much magic thrown around tbh lol just a mention here or there. I hope you like it honey <3
> 
> For everyone else I'm still pretty new at writing in this fandom, so hopefully I didn't butcher any of the characters ^^

Merlin loves his job. Not always, mind you, there are days where things just don’t go quite right. Shitty customers, with shitty nonsense complaints. But for the most part Merlin loves his job, for very obvious reasons. 

_Reason number one:_ he gets to work with his friend, _Gwen_ , who he loves dearly. He’d probably go insane without her, and her kind smiles and incredible patience. 

_Reason number two:_ he gets to flirt with cute customers while at the same time being purposefully daft at the creepy advances of certain other customers (pretending to be dumb is fun).

 _Reason number three:_ he can use his magic freely to make other people feel better, whether it is to put a little something in their coffees to lift their spirits or to give them the exact thing they’re craving but don’t know it. It’s the best feeling in the world.

 _Reason number four (is new and he’s still coming to terms with it):_ he’s pretty sure he’s in love with a regular customer. And by pretty sure, he means he’s definitely in love with him. Which is strange, because not long ago he was sure he hated him so, that’s definitely more than a little weird. Still, just being able to see him everyday - well, _almost_ everyday - is quickly becoming one of the best reasons why he loves his job.

At least he isn’t alone in his probably not-very-safe-for-work feelings, seeing as Gwen is also crushing on another customer. Certain customer that might be the sister of the customer Merlin is crushing on - it’s all very incestuous, except not at all? 

“If I marry him, and you marry her, we’d finally be related, wouldn’t that be cool? We’d practically be siblings.” Merlin might have made that joke before (many times before actually), but the coffee shop is empty, and he’s bored, and he might enjoy flustering Gwen a bit more than he should.

“ _Merlin_.” she whispers and hits his arm, and Merlin’s sure he said something wrong, and now she’s mad at him. _No one wants a mad Gwen, no one._ Until he notices she’s smiling her customer service smile, and looking away from him, and well- 

Fuck.

 _Please do not_ , he begs as he turns around and stops begging before finishing it, seeing as it’s quite useless, because yes. Yes it is him. Maybe he didn’t hear him. It’s fine.

“Who are you marrying exactly, _Mer_ lin?” customer prat, _Arthur_ , the love of his life - _or more like the ban of his existence_ \- asks, his smile tight and fake.

“Why are you asking? You volunteering for the position?” bloody hell, he didn’t mean to say that. Arthur just has a way to get him to run his mouth even more than usual. He very distinctly feels Gwen elbow his side, and _ouch_ , fine. He puts on his very own customer service smile, and his very fake customer service voice, and asks, “What would you like today?”

Arthur looks conflicted, opening and closing his mouth like a dying fish, it’s ridiculous (it’s cute- goddamn it, he really does like him), and Merlin tries to be patient. So patient in fact, he doesn’t even make a joke about it - mostly because he doesn’t want Gwen to elbow him again. Thankfully, Morgana arrives and saves Arthur from his... _stroke_?

“Good morning Merlin, glad to see you’ve broken Arthur already.” she smirks, but Arthur is still lost in his little world and probably doesn’t hear it. Taking off her sunglasses she looks at Gwen, “And good morning to you too Gwen, you look beautiful as always.”

Merlin knows Morgana is flirting with Gwen, the neighbors know Morgana is flirting with Gwen, the bloody aliens know Morgana is flirting with Gwen, surprisingly Gwen does not realize Morgana is flirting with her, no matter how obvious she makes it. Merlin’s tried to tell Gwen, it hasn’t worked so far, he fears he shall die before they get it together. But he knows better than that. He knows _Morgana_ better than that by now. He’s sure Morgana is just easing Gwen into it, and then she’ll attack like a shark on a mission, ask her for a date, and then they’ll marry, and be happy forever and ever. Or something like that. Probably. 

Wow...things are getting dire if he’s fantasizing about other people’s love lives.

“Oh- uh- yes, no. I mean, you’re the beautiful one. You look amazing.” Gwen stutters, a little starstruck.

Fuck it. If he can’t get any, he’s at least going to help his friend get it; he will take one for the team. Meaning, he realizes Gwen will murder him for doing this, but eventually she’d thank him. Right?

“You guys are adorable. You should go on a date.” Merlin says looking straight at Morgana, trying to make her see Gwen is 100% ready for a date (ha, _date_ , right). She’s been ready for a really long time really, by now she’s climbing out of her skin by how much she wants Morgana.

“Merlin!” 

Oh he’s going to die, should he confess his undying love to Arthur first? Looking at the empty gaze he’s still wearing it probably wouldn’t even compute, so better not. Before Gwen could do anything besides call his name in the most furious he’s ever seen her, Morgana speaks up, amused, “We should.”

He is safe. 

For now. 

He still might get murdered in his sleep, since they live together. At least he’ll go out a hero, so not too bad. Some would just call him nosy, and they would be right, but Merlin will compromise and say he’s a nosy hero.

“What? Wait? Really? Are you sure?” it’s a shame Morgana can fluster Gwen far more than Merlin ever could, looking at all the emotions going through Gwen’s face as she asks question after question is definitely something. Delight, mistrust, sadness, happiness - any moment her brain is going to stop working.

“Why don’t you two sit down at a table and talk it out. I’ll bring you your usual.” Merlin winks, and pushes Gwen from behind the counter. Gwen simultaneously looks like she’ll kill him and like she’d die for him, which makes him snort. Getting to work, he starts making something special for them, something they’ll never forget, a little magic just for the two.

When he finally turns back around he notices Arthur intently staring at him and he almost drops the coffee he’s holding, “Bloody hell, I forgot you were still there.”

Arthur very helpfully says nothing at all; _great he’s in a mood_.

“Are you angry I’m getting Morgana’s order done before yours?” Merlin still remembers how prissy Arthur was at the start, when he discovered Camelot coffee shop. He hasn’t done it in a while, but who knows, he might be having a bad day. Glancing at Gwen and Morgana, smiling at each other, already holding hands (you go Gwen), is enough to make Merlin not care about Arthur’s possible complaints.

“Morgana is my sister.”

“ _Yes_...I know.” Merlin says, because, what else can he say? They’ve known each other for a while now, they’ve talked a fair bit, he knows more about Arthur than he probably should, since he’s just a customer. Shaking his head at the weird turn this conversation has taken, Merlin gets back to finishing Morgana’s order, by taking a slice of cheesecake for her (and another one for Gwen, because she deserves it).

“And Gwen likes Morgana?” Arthur looks like he’s making the most complicated maths in his head - his poor brain is bound to explode at this rate, poor bastard.

“Obviously.” because it was obvious, always has been. Merlin seriously worries about how oblivious Arthur can be at times.

By the smug look on Arthur’s face, whatever maths he was doing apparently got him the result he wanted. It’s a little off-putting, and kind of hot, being looked at like _that_.

“So you want to marry me?”

 _Oh_.

Maybe he’s not as dumb as Merlin thought, or maybe he is, because that took him longer than it should have to understand. Smiling his (once again) customer service smile, Merlin says, “I’ll be right back with you, Sir.” and walks away from Arthur to take Morgana’s order (and extra) to their table.

“ _Mer_ lin, don’t walk away from me.”

Morgana stops talking to Gwen for a second to smile up at him, “Good luck with that, he’s a handful.”

“Yes. He really is.” Merlin sighs, and smiles genuinely, “But luckily I have two hands.”

He hears Gwen laugh after he leaves, which only makes him smile even more. Arthur has his arms crossed (and Merlin has a need to bite those biceps, which is not the strangest thought he’s had about Arthur, but it’s weird nonetheless), and is completely unamused as he glares at him.

Going behind the counter, so he doesn’t jump Arthur in the middle of the coffee shop, because he’s a professional, he says, “Before you say anything, and annoy me with being a smug arse, yes, I will go on a date with you. Also what’s your order?”

“I didn’t ask you on a date.”

“ _Yet_.” Merlin adds, happy with himself; his dimples are definitely showing, which he’s pretty sure Arthur has a thing for. “I can see the future, I knew you were going to ask me.”

“Really?” Arthur doesn’t look like he believes Merlin, but at the same time he isn’t completely sure. It’s really funny. Merlin kind of loves messing with him.

“What’s your order?” Merlin asks again instead of answering, leaning on the counter

Arthur stops for a second, and breathes deep; his face is completely serious, as if he’s preparing to go to war when he asks, “Will you go on a date with me?”

_Drama Queen._

“That’s not an order. And I’ve already said yes. _See?_ I knew you were going to ask me.”

“Good. Glad we’re in agreement.” Arthur says more to himself than to Merlin, as if he’s convincing himself it all went to plan, a little pleased smile on his face. “Oh, and I want my usual. As always, and hurry it up _Mer_ lin.”

“ _Prat._ ” Merlin rolls his eyes and gets to work. Knowing that Arthur won’t go sit down until he’s done getting things done, like _always_. Which is why he’s slower getting things done when it comes to Arthur. It’s why he knows so much about Arthur; these little moments where they talk as he works. And maybe he can’t actually see the future magically, but he was quite sure that no matter what they’d eventually get here.

**Author's Note:**

> i'm also kickassfu on tumblr~~


End file.
